Understanding The Bible
With lots of New Year Resolutions floating around, I wonder if any have resolved to dig deeper into the bible this year. Do you set out with good intentions to read the Bible but get bogged down in the language, such as “he begot this person and that person begot that person” for an example? I know I have really tried to set my mind to exploring and understanding the bible, but the verbiage gets me at times. But there’s more to the Bible, and that is where this book comes in!
I was actually surprised how this book broke things down. For example, we all know that the Bible consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament. We probably all were taught in Sunday School that there are 66 total books of the Bible. Maybe you even had to recite the books of the Bible like I had to growing up. Well, this book takes it further in exploring the Old Testament, which goes from creation, through the life of Jewish people, and right on up to the time of Christ. There are 39 books of the Bible in the Old Testament, with 28 authors writing over a span of two thousand years. Did you know that? I didn’t! Further, the New Testament tells of the birth of Jesus, His life and ministry, and the ministry of His disciples that was carried on after His crucifixion. There are 27 books of the Bible in the New Testament, with nine authors writing over a span of less than one hundred years.
This book goes a step further in explaining the Old Testament, with 17 historical, five poetical, and 17 prophetical books of the Bible. Likewise, the New Testament is broken down into five historical, 13 Pauline Epistles to the churches, and nine General Epistles.
Interesting, right?!
You don’t have to try to absorb ALL of the bible in one sitting. That’s virtually impossible. Even if you could read it all in a day, you wouldn’t be able to comprehend it all. With the aid of this book, however, you will gain more insight and understanding with just taking 15 minutes a day to devote to this cause. Further, they have fill in the blank areas within the book so you can jog your memory on what you just learned as you go along. This is done in an effort for you to retain the material later.
As I held this book in my hands, the first person I thought of was my father. Through the years, his faith has really been tested and tried. He’s gone from being a firm believer, to being on shaky ground after losing his oldest daughter so tragically. Finally, after years of us praying over him, my dad was able to come to terms with his anger over the loss of his precious daughter and turn back to God. In doing so, he tried to dive into the Bible to gain further understanding and comfort with the Word of God. He began praying heartfelt, almost preacher-worthy prayers, which surprised us but comforted us at the same time. This was the Godly man my heart knew, loved, and remembered from my childhood. He has returned!
Knowing my father’s desire to learn more about the Bible, I presented him with a copy of this book as one of his Christmas gifts this past year. He held it in his hands looking down at the cover, then slowly started thumbing through the pages. I could tell it definitely stirred something within his soul, and then he spoke, “I have been wanting to learn more about the Bible, so this is going to really come in handy in the new year.”
And my heart smiled.
Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this book for my review.
No More Than We Can Bear
There’s a bible verse that others love to put right in the forefront of your mind when you’re going through troubled times. It happened again just recently when I was struggling, although not telling others what was truly going on. Honestly, after they’ve heard so much, they really don’t want to hear more. They just think, “Oh poor unfortunate soul …” and move on being glad that it isn’t them going through it.
I get it. No one wants to listen to “that” person going through trials and tribulations. So, “that” person then withdraws within and does not speak of anything troubling them at all. That can be good and bad. It’s good because they focus on the only One that can do anything about what is troubling them; God. And it is bad because when they truly need someone to be there for them, no one can be found. This leaves the person who is already going through so much feeling isolated and alone; the very last thing they need at that moment in time.
Pictures plastered across Social Media tell quite a tale, don’t they? And you’re left to wonder if this troubled soul is indeed troubled. Or “living it up.” No one knows but God. Pictures can make it look all kinds of different ways. Where is the truth? It lies behind those eyes.
Rumors fly, and you just have to laugh because everyone thinks they “know.” Others ask all around for answers to their inquiring minds. Why would the answer matter? Just nosey people being busy bodies wanting to spread your business around when they should really be dealing with matters in their own life, leaving you alone.
Ah, but that is the nature of the beast. And curiosity killed the cat, don’t you know?
How about this? We pray for one another. Whether we know for “certain” what is going on, or whether we “think” we do, why not just bow our heads before our Heavenly Father and ask Him to bless them?
Why can’t we fall upon our knees asking God to help them, if we get one inkling that they might not be doing as well as they put on?
Or, keep that person in our thoughts, wishing them well along their path in life?
But to ask just for the guilty pleasure of “knowing” whether they’re truly struggling or happy in life … that is just the height of being human. Every one wants to know someone else’s business when they should be tending to their own.
If, by chance, a rare soul offers assistance, the pride wells up and won’t allow it. Why turn down someone willing to help? For fear that at some point “repayment” will be expected or resentment will build on behalf of the giver. And then they will think that the one they once gifted has taken advantage. When that is far from the truth of the matter.
Assumptions – what do they do? WE ALL KNOW … they make an A$$ out of you and me.
Yet, we assume we know so much.
And we hurt our own feelings with our thoughts that may not be based on truth.
How about take each day as it comes. That is what I’ve been taught to do by life, itself. There is no guarantee from one minute to the next on how things will go. Sure, we want things normal and simple, but my life has been anything BUT that these past few years.
No one wants to hear about yet another procedure … or another test … or another anything.
And so you keep quiet and to yourself.
Others wag their tongues about you and think they KNOW …
And you leave them to their thoughts and gossip.
No more than we can bear.
The Magic of Music
I have been thinking about this quite a bit after seeing the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. For those of you that may not know about this movie, it is a loose biographical story of Freddie Mercury and the band Queen through their performance at the Live Aid concert in 1985 and to the untimely death of Freddie due to Aids. If you have never heard of Queen, I can guarantee you have heard at least one of their songs.
The part that stood out for me was the Live Aid concert sequence. I admit that I had never seen it before though I have been a fan of Queen from their early days. Queen was not in the original line-up of bands scheduled to play. When they were added to the show, tickets had already sold out. The crowd was there for groups like U2, David Bowie, Dire Straits and so on; not for Queen. I was so taken in with this part of the movie that I have watched the real performance on YouTube several times.
This is where you see the magic of music. During their performance the crowd of 80,000 at Wembley Stadium comes together and sings along to several of Queen’s songs. Music touches that hearts of all of us; even though some of us may not admit it. This was a perfect example of that. All those things that divide us in life were gone. There was only the music. Music unifying the diversity of the crowd.
Music can be a great healer to us when our hearts are troubled. Music can help to ease those times in our lives when things seem impossible to handle. Yet, using music like this is not something we think about and we should.
In the coming weeks and months, I will be relying on music more to help get through some very difficult times. I don’t have anyone that I can call anytime to help talk me through things any more. I will be relying on music to get me through. Just as it can for you too. When you are feeling down and lost; listen to some of your favorite songs that have brought joy into your heart.
